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Mitochondrial DNA Extraction from Burial Soil Samples at Incremental Distances: A Preliminary Study
Author(s) -
Thomas Ariane E.,
Holben Bill,
Dueño Kora,
Snow Meradeth
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.13931
Subject(s) - mitochondrial dna , ancient dna , environmental dna , dna extraction , soil test , sampling (signal processing) , dna , dna profiling , biology , soil water , polymerase chain reaction , ecology , genetics , biodiversity , gene , medicine , population , filter (signal processing) , computer science , computer vision , environmental health
Abstract Preservation variance of soil DNA is neglected in the literature, and exceptional cases exaggerate amplification capabilities. This study sought to amplify a short mitochondrial fragment (212 bp) specific to Sus scrofa domesticus from the soil surrounding decomposing pig remains from an open‐air locale. Samples collected above the body at incremental distances after 145 days of initial placement yielded pig DNA . A secondary sampling was collected in 2017, approximately 768 days after burial. Inhibition tests corroborated that pig DNA was no longer present in the soil resulting in a loss of original DNA between 145 and 768 days. The results provide evidence that genetic material leaches out radially from the source and DNA fragments longer than 200 bp do not persist in soil for a relatively short timeframe in western Montana. The conclusions support the collection of soil in crime scene investigation procedures within the first few months of decomposition.